mills



(No mm I I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

- W. K.'MILLS.

GATE.

' .No. 500,593. Patented July 4, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVILLIAM K. MILLS, OF KOKOMO, INDIANA.

GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 500,593, dated July 4, 1893.

Application filed May 20, 1892- Serial No. 433,7 35. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM K. MILLS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kokomo, in the county of Howard and State of Indiana, haveinvented a new and useful Gate, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in gates.

The object of the present invention is to simplify and improve the construction of oscillating gates, to give an impetus to the same at the starting of them in opening or closing and retard them at the end of the movement to avoid injuring or rattling the gates, and to enable such gates to be operated with a small amount of force.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawingsFigure 1 is a perspective View of a gate constructed in accordance with this invention, the gate being closed. Fig. 2 is a similar View, the gate being open.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawin s.

I l designates an oscillating frame hinged at its lower end and having pivoted within it at its upper end a gate 2, which is carried by the oscillating frame in opening and closing, and is lifted above the ground by the same, thereby greatly facilitating the operation when snow or the like would ordinarily offer obstruction to a gate. The oscillating frameis approximately V-shaped, the lower ends of its diverging sides being hinged by a pintle rod 3 which is journaled in uprights 4 and 5; and the top of the frame is arranged in an eye 6 of a connecting rod 7 which is adjustably secured to the upper end of an oscillating lever 8 arranged in rear of the gate and in line with the same and moving simultaneously with the oscillating frame with which it is connected.

The oscillating lever is forked, being composed of two side bars, which are bent outward near their middles, having their upper portions secured together and their lower portions arranged parallel with each other. They are fulcrumed on a post 9 at the lower end of the lever and have journaled between them on a spindle 10, a roller 11. The said lever is engaged by a resilient actuating and retarding device adapted to give an impetus to the gate on starting, and to retard the same at the end of the movement to avoid striking the ground with force and racking or otherwise injuring the gate, which is composed of two springs 12 having their lower ends secured on opposite sides of the post 9, and having their upper ends arranged on opposite sides of the roller 11, and adapted to engage the same alternately. When the oscillating lever is in a vertical position, the springs are also vertical and parallel with each other, but as soon as the lever moves to either side of the vertical it engages either the one or the other of the springs carrying it outward away from the short post 9 to retard the gate in its descent. In moving the gate again the distended spring assists the gate, giving an impetus to the same.

The upper ends of the bars of the oscillating lever are provided with a series of perforations adapted to receive a bolt 13 for securing the adjacent end of the connecting bar 7 to the lever. The perforations permit an adjustment to regulate the gate to the strength of the springs, the latter being stronger in Winter, and by moving the bolt nearer the end of the oscillating lever, the gate is given greater leverage to compensate for the in-' creased stiffness of the springs.

The gate is designed to be operated by a Wheel of a Vehicle coming in contact with a pivoted rectangular tripping frame 14E, connected with the gate by means of chains 16 and 17, which have their inner ends attached to a post 18 and which pass on opposite sides of the oscillating frame and over pulleys 19 and 20 of an upright 4: or 5, and have their outer ends attached respectively to the trip frame 14. and to a short post 21. A vehicle in approaching the gate carries the trip frame 14 toward the gate and over the short post 21, and in contact with the chain 16 pressing the same downward and drawing upon the slack adjacent to the oscillating frame and starting the latter. The chain 17 is longer than the chain 16 and pulls the oscillating frame in the opposite direction to close the gate when the trip frame is moved away from the gate by a receding vehicle. The longer chain is held being frozen to the ground in winter and rendering the gate inoperative, bya rope or chain 22 passing over a pulley 23 of an upright 24, and having'one end attached to the chain 17, .and provided atits otherend with aweight 25.

It will be seen that the springs greatly assist the operation of the gate and their strength may be readily regulated to the size and weight of the gate to be moved so that the operation may be performed by a very slight pressure on the trip frame just sufficient to start the gate; and I desire it to be under stood that I do not limit myself to the precise details of construction herein shown and described, as I may without departing from the spirit of the invention make minor changes therein.

A set of chains andatripframeis arranged at each side of the gate a suitable distance therefrom to enable the trip frames to be operated by a vehicle without interfering with the operation of the gate. The gate closes against the latch post, and the post 18 is arranged at one side of the gate and a post 26 is arranged on its opposite side.

What I claim isl. The combination of a gate, a short post arranged in rear of the gate and in line with the same, an oscillating frame having diverging sides and receiving the gate between them and extending above the gate, an oscillating lever arranged parallel with the oscillating frame and having its ends forked, the lower forked end being fulcrumed on the short post, a horizontal rod extending from the upper end of the oscillating frame to the top of the lever and secured in the upper fork of the latter, and an actuating and retarding device connected with the lever, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of a gate, an oscillating frame hinged at its bottom and carrying the gate, an oscillating lever fulcrumed at its lower end in rear of the gate and having its upper end connected with the oscillating frame, and springs arranged on opposite sides of the lever and secured at their lower ends, and having their upper ends free and alternately engaging the lever, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a gate, an oscillating frame carrying the gate and hinged at its bottom, an oscillating lever fulcrumed at its lower end in rear of the gate, a rod having one end connected to theframe and its other end adj ustahly secured to the lever and the springs secured at their lower ends and having their upper ends free and arranged to engage the lever, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a gate, an oscillatingframe hinged at its bottom and carrying the gate, an oscillating lever fulcrumed at its lower end and arranged in rear of the gate and having its lower portion forked and provided at its upper end with a series of perforations, a roller arranged in the forked portion of the lever, a rod having its front end connected to the frame, a bolt arranged in one of the perforations of the lever and ad justably securing the rear end of the red to the lever, and a spring arranged to engage the roller, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a gate, an oscillating frame hinged at its bottom and carrying the gate, the chains extending from the gate in opposite directions and arranged in pairs and having their inner ends arranged on opposite sides of the oscillating frame, and a trip frame arranged at the outer ends of the chain and adapted to engage alternately the chains of each pair, substantially as described.

6. The combination of'a gate, an oscillating frame hinged at its bottom and carryipg the gate, an upright arranged adjacent to the gate and provided with pulleys, a short post arranged a suitable distance from the gate, the chains 16 and 17 passing over said pulleys and having their inner ends arranged on opposite sides of the oscillating frame, the chain 16 being attached at its outer end to the short post, a trip frame connected to the chain 17, an upright 22 provided with a pulley and a rope passing over the latter and having one end attached to the chain 17 and its other end provided with a weight, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM K. MILLS.

Witnesses:

MOSES D. Ross, W. K. NICHOLSON. 

